circumnavigating Chicago Class B

"Travis Marlatte" wrote:

Most people transition the lakeshore at 2000. Personally, I do it at 2200 or
1800.

Is this option something you'd consider for a Cub or Champ
cruising at 70 mph with a battery operated radio and no
XPDR? If heading from the east coast (Mass) to Oshkosh in
such an old timer how would you go? I doubt I can get over
the top. Around the west side of Chicago or up through
Canada are pretty far at such a slow speed, and 50 miles
over water on the direct route is not something I'm anxious
to try.

In 20+ years of going to OSH from OH, I have only gone over the top
once. All but one other time have been along the lakeshore. The other
exception was around the west side in 1985 in a Champ. That was to stop
for lunch and fuel at Clow.

Bob wrote:
"Travis Marlatte" wrote:


Most people transition the lakeshore at 2000. Personally, I do it at 2200 or
1800.


Is this option something you'd consider for a Cub or Champ
cruising at 70 mph with a battery operated radio and no
XPDR? If heading from the east coast (Mass) to Oshkosh in
such an old timer how would you go? I doubt I can get over
the top. Around the west side of Chicago or up through
Canada are pretty far at such a slow speed, and 50 miles
over water on the direct route is not something I'm anxious
to try.

No radio? No problem. No XPDR? Oops. You'd have to be pretty far out over
Lake Michigan to be outside the ORD class B 30nm mode C veil. So, that
depends on your definition of risk. Do you mind being 15 miles offshore with
no floats and a battery operated radio that might not transmit to shore and
no XPDR so that they could track your splash?

That's too much risk for me. I'd stick to the farm fields south and west of
the class B veil.

--
-------------------------------
Travis
"Bob" wrote in message
...
"Travis Marlatte" wrote:

Most people transition the lakeshore at 2000. Personally, I do it at 2200
or
1800.

Is this option something you'd consider for a Cub or Champ
cruising at 70 mph with a battery operated radio and no
XPDR? If heading from the east coast (Mass) to Oshkosh in
such an old timer how would you go? I doubt I can get over
the top. Around the west side of Chicago or up through
Canada are pretty far at such a slow speed, and 50 miles
over water on the direct route is not something I'm anxious
to try.

"Travis Marlatte" wrote in message
ink.net...

No radio? No problem. No XPDR? Oops. You'd have to be pretty far out over
Lake Michigan to be outside the ORD class B 30nm mode C veil. So, that
depends on your definition of risk. Do you mind being 15 miles offshore
with
no floats and a battery operated radio that might not transmit to shore
and
no XPDR so that they could track your splash?

That's too much risk for me. I'd stick to the farm fields south and west
of
the class B veil.


Most Cubs and Champs were built without electrical systems and thus are
exempt from the transponder requirements of the Mode C veil.

Yep! I can fly right up to the inner-most cylinder, below 1200' AGL.

Steven P. McNicoll wrote:
Most Cubs and Champs were built without electrical systems and thus are
exempt from the transponder requirements of the Mode C veil.

Oops. Sorry. I guess I should have assumed that from the "battery operated
radio" phrase.

Then it's a phone call to get permission, right?

--
-------------------------------
Travis
"Steven P. McNicoll" wrote in message
ink.net...

"Travis Marlatte" wrote in message
ink.net...

No radio? No problem. No XPDR? Oops. You'd have to be pretty far out
over
Lake Michigan to be outside the ORD class B 30nm mode C veil. So, that
depends on your definition of risk. Do you mind being 15 miles offshore
with
no floats and a battery operated radio that might not transmit to shore
and
no XPDR so that they could track your splash?

That's too much risk for me. I'd stick to the farm fields south and west
of
the class B veil.


Most Cubs and Champs were built without electrical systems and thus are
exempt from the transponder requirements of the Mode C veil.

Travis Marlatte wrote:

No radio? No problem. No XPDR? Oops. You'd have to be pretty far out over
Lake Michigan to be outside the ORD class B 30nm mode C veil.

He said a Cub or a Champ; that is, an aircraft that was built with no electrical
system. He can fly such an aircraft within the veil as long as he stays out of the
class-B itself.

George Patterson
If a man gets into a fight 3,000 miles away from home, he *had* to have
been looking for it.

Option #1. The Chicago lakeshore view is awesome, especially on a
clear evening. Beware the lakefront and stadium TFRs that come and
go. Approach is 20.55. You can fly the lakeshore at 2900MSL. Watch
for other sightseeing traffic as it is heavy. Drop down lower and
look up at the Hancock and Sears Tower as you fly by. If you do the
OBK VOR to the lakeshore, be careful not to clip the lower ring of the
Bravo and/or PWKs airspace.

Option #2. If you are on flightfollowing, ORD approach will probably
ask you to go around ORD, and may cancel FF if you go over. Also,
Chicago center does not usually coordinate handoffs with ORD approach,
so you may find yourself mixing it up with the Janesville arrival
traffic without flight following. Good views, but doing this makes me
nervous.

Option #3 will not happen. I've been flying in ORD area for 10 years
and have had 1 VFR ransition through the Bravo, and that was at 2am.

Alternate option. Go around ORD to the West and South. Approach is
20.55, 33.5, 19.35 respectively. What's another 15 minutes of flying?


On Thu, 16 Sep 2004 21:40:12 GMT, Neil Bratney
wrote:

Hey all,

I'm looking at flying my PA 28-161 VFR from Minneapolis to South Bend,
Indiana, in a few weeks for a Notre Dame football game (go irish!). Two
big things, of course, stand in my way: Lake Michigan and the Chicago
Class B airspace.

I've looked at the Chicago Terminal Chart, and have come up with two
possibilities:

1.) Aim for the OBK VOR, then skirt under Class Bravo at 2,900, and hug
the lakeshore all the way around to South Bend.

2.) Take 'er up to 11,500 in southcentral Wisconsin, go above the Class
B airspace. I've never been up that high before! This might let me cut
a little deeper across Lake Michigan.

3.) Accept a transition through Class B from ATC.

I'm a pretty new VFR pilot (you might remember my Duluth post) with
about 80 hrs... but am very comfortable communicating with ATC in /
around MSP Class B airspace.

I will, as always, have VFR flight following. Will ATC be expecting me
to choose one of the above options when I approach Chicagoland? How
much ATC interaction should I expect while I'm over / under their
airspace? Maybe just handoffs?

Also, Meigs Class D is still on the chart. Is it really still in
effect/operation?

Thanks a ton!

Neil Bratney
PP-ASEL